Chapter
The Chapter was a guild focused on the Holy Light, it's currently disbanded. General Information The Chapter has been endowed with a mission to eradicate the darkness around and within us. This is referred to as the Calling of the Light. This mission is the all-governing policy of The Chapter and anything interfering with it is dealt with swiftly and with extreme measures. To go against The Chapter is seen as going against humanity itself. Ideology & Mindset Loyalty & Obedience Upon entering The Chapter every apprentice has to swear the Vow of the Light, pledging allegiance, silence, to obey the word of their superiors, to reveal every sign of Darkness and to never go against The Chapter’s holy mission. Faith The devout followers truly see The Chapter as the only hope of humanity in opposing the Scourge. They see the Light, the winding road to salvation and they feel the cleansing fires that will burn the filth away and once again light up the world, throwing back the Darkness. The Ends Justify the Means The War against the Darkness is a battle for the souls of all humanity, if not the whole of Azeroth. Nothing is sacred in taking the fight to the Scourge or uncovering the rot of heresy inside humanities own settlements. Sometimes heretics have to be tortured to uncover the infiltration of the Heretic cults and those who would undermine the good work of the Chapter. There is not normally time to judge heretics by trial, and those that cannot be captured for torture may need to be immediately executed on the spot. No One is Completely Innocent Even if you believe you are innocent, you could unknowingly be guilty by association based on someone you have met, something you have seen, or even worse by some other information that has been provided to the Chapter. If you come forward to the Chapter with information, it is possible they may need to torture* you to confirm you are telling the truth and not holding anything back – after all; the fate of humanity depends on it. History The Chapter has not existed as an organisation for long, but it draws its roots from Uther Lightbringer himself, the founder and leader of the Silver Hand. Seen in a vision, the founder of The Chapter Chevalie Durand discovered the location of a long sought after book in the Alonsus Chapel in dread Stratholme. Wasting no time she gathered her gear and with her fellow knight Heiron she made her way trough scores of undead and worse, finally reaching the remains of the chapel. Below the altar, just as her vision had told her, hidden right beneath the nose of the enemy was The Book of Light. The Book of Light is a book penned by the hand of Uther Lightbringer and explains his vision and knowledge of the Holy Light, predictions of times to come, and secrets of both the Light and the Shadow. It is from this book that The Chapter bases its doctrines and practice. Gathering her allies, Chevalie Durand and Heiron was escorted safely back to Stormwind where the scholars started investigating the book. The writing was indeed Uther’s, but since most of it was written in code there remained a lot of work before its message became clear. As the book revealed more and more of its content, Chevalie’s mission became obvious. Humanity needed a gathering focus and a guiding hand in the dark times to come. That focus would be The Chapter. Having an already astounding reputation for a paladin her age, she gathered the necessary support to be allowed to found the order. And thus The Chapter was born. The Holy Light – As seen by The Chapter The Holy Light is not a philosophy. It is a religion, a way of living that provides spiritual strength and guidance to those who follow it. For those who understand the Holy Light, faith is a matter of both practice and worship. The fundamental concept of the Holy Light is that power invested in us by the Light allows us to extend our wills and accomplish feats that seem impossible. The Holy Light is an entity in its own right. An entity of immense power. In short – a god. The Light invests a little of its power in all that lives and humans are its favoured children. This invested power allows mages to bend the elements to their will, allows a priest to mend wounds, allows a rogue to bend the shadows around him and even allows a warlock to command and banish demons. Once invested, it is up to the individual to choose what to do with that power, but the Light has definite plans for humanity and this realm. To deny the importance of either one self, and there by ones own role, or the Light cuts you off from half of existence. The Holy Light teaches that once you acknowledge the connection between yourself and the Light, you will know that your health, happiness and duty are also connected to the Light. The task set before humanity is the one the elves failed so miserably at; protecting and caretaking this realm. To deny this task is to deny yourself, and the capable must do what the helpless cannot. Protecting the weak and helping those less fortunate are all a part of the legacy set upon humanity. To clean this realm of corruption, both the sword and the mind must do it’s utmost. To work against the Holy Light is the same as working against life itself. The Three virtues Those who follow the Light focus their efforts on developing three virtues: vigilance, resolve and compassion. Each virtue is further divided into a principle and a lesson. Every creature that lives has a connection between self and the Light. Protecting life is paramount, however, in order to do so, one must at times destroy and root out those that would destroy life – like a gardener that tends well to his garden, removing unhealthy and sick plants to allow the healthy ones to survive. The practitioners of the Holy Light understand that conflict and suffering are inevitable, but seek to minimize the suffering of others. In comparison to the duty of Light, the self is of no importance. As corruption takes foothold, one must use any and all means to cleanse it out and bring the world back to the state it was meant to be. As caretakers humanity must be vigilant against all forms of corruption, whether it rests in a demon, an undead or ones own soul. Corruption must be sought out and destroyed, within as well as without. The task of protecting this realm and following the path of The Holy Light is sometimes hard and may sometimes seem cruel. This is as it must be. In the end it is for the better of the world, and for the souls we are charged with protecting. To slay an evildoer is not an act of hate, but one of compassion, as one not only stops that creature from corrupting his own soul further, but also the corruption that spreads from him onto others. The first two concepts lead to a third: compassion. Our task is to protect the weak and those who cannot help themselves. This is the leading principle of the Holy Light and cannot be overlooked. Those who tend to the wounded and sick, and those that serve on the field of battle are of equal importance to the Light, and they both fulfil their allotted place in the world. Principles and Lessons of the three Virtues The principle of vigilance As guardians we must never shut out eye to the corruption within and without. The lesson of vigilance Look for signs of corruption both in others and in yourself. The principle of resolve Your life is of little importance. Your soul and the soul of the world is what counts. The lesson of resolve Our strength comes from within, and we must all make sacrifices for the greater good. The principle of compassion Like the mother who protects her child, the bearers of Light must protect humanity from those that would corrupt and destroy it. The lesson of compassion Both the act of striking down an evildoer and the caretaking of a starving child are acts of compassion. Category:Guilds Category:Defias Brotherhood (EU) Category:Alliance